Securing the platform on a watercraft

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to securing means for a height-adjustable platform on a watercraft. The aim of the invention is to secure said platform from erroneous manipulations, thus protecting humans, the watercraft and the height-adjustable platform against an accident.

This application claims priority of PCT application PCT/CH2008/000317 having a priority date of Jul. 16, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention involves the safeguarding and handling simplification for a drop down platform, for picking up tenders and persons onto a watercraft according to the preamble of the initial claim

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Drop down platforms, especially for swimmers, divers and tenders are well-known as described in patents DE 196 02 331, U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,045. These allow persons or material to be comfortably let down into the water or to be taken on board.

Specific safety elements such as the locking device of the platform and remote control are well-known and among others are described in patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,992.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention involves that, on a watercraft with a drop down platform enabling a tender or persons to be picked up from the water or to be lowered into the water enables the very best possible safety precautions, bearing in mind that certain procedures can only take place when certain conditions are fulfilled beforehand. Also not too many indicators should confuse the user but with the simplest information the offering or a certain position can be displayed or automatically positioned to. In the case of lowering the platform should there be a stem drive on the watercraft's transom, then the stern drive should not be in the tilted up position and the steering angle has to be as small as possible, so that the platform can be lowered without collision. Also for e.g. in case the platform is lowered the watercraft can only be operated at low rpm or not at all. In addition the platform should not be lowered further or not less than the set points, e.g. the platform is lowered automatically to the proper position to pick up a tender by means of a preset point.

In addition to the recess in the platform and at the same time a coverage of the stern drive or jet drive or rudder by a cover lid with side cover lids or electric safety edges which, when coming into contact with a foot or a limb with the cover lid, the platform will stop immediately, which is a security feature of the whole system as well as a simple and logical operation and comfort element. A remote control with a range beyond the vision range of the platform is critical from a safety point of view. An integrated radio via bluetooth in the remote control is neat and represents a direct, recurring handling of the control unit, which ensures a confident and in the subconscious mind a fine motoric memorized handling.

Quintessence of the invention is, to provide a dropdown swimplatform with improved safety components so as simplify the handling of the system so that certain procedures can only take place using compelled and previously terminated functions and thereby increasing the comfort as well, which reduces thereby the possible handling stress and at the same time creating a clear safety feature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various exemplary aspects of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings wherein:

It shows

FIG. 1 A schematic functional view of a simple handling mean for a drop down platform with a switch and a control light, a controller, a sensor fixed to a technical mean, a steering wheel mean and a steering wheel

FIG. 2 A schematic functional view of the safety elements for a drop down platform, consisting of a manual controller, sensors, rpm gauge, locking element, transmitter, which are all connected to a controller and comprises a manual pressure release mean of the system

FIG. 3 A schematic 3D view of a drop down platform on a watercraft transom with coercion controlled cover lids, electric safety edges and integrated bathing ladder

Only essential elements of the invention are schematically shown to facilitate immediate understanding.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic functional view of a simple handling of a dropdown platform 17 with a switch 1 and a control lamp 1 a, which allows, by slightly touching the key sensor or toggle switch, the platform 17 to activate. Thereby all the necessary systems for getting into operation to lift or to lower the platform 17 and all safety measures 24, which include means 1,1 a, 3,4,5,7,8,9,10,11,12,23, are set ready. A blinking of the integrated control lamp 1 a in switch 1 indicates that the activation of the system is not yet ready, at the same time the appropriate measures take place to eliminate the hindrances: collision endangered technical means 2 e.g. rudder, jet drive or as shown here a stern drive, are set by means of operator 5 into an appropriate height position which has been previously programmed into the controller 3 by use of a sensor 4. On the steering wheel 6 is attached an additional sensor 4, which gives information of the set steering angle. The user only has to turn the steering wheel 6 until the control lamp 1 a continually lights and shows that the system is ready to lift or lower the platform 17. Instead of turning the steering wheel by hand, this can be achieved by adding on a drive 7. Instead of automatically setting the stern drive into position this can be activated manually by using a trim switch. Only when the correct height and correct steering wheel position of the stern drive are set, the control lamp 1 a will change from a blinking to continuous light mode and thus the drop down platform 17 is ready for use. Additionally, an acoustic mean informs about the alignment situation.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic functional view of a safety element for a drop down platform 17. This consists of a water tight manual control 8, sensors 4, rpm gauge 9, locking device 10, gear setting 11, transmitter 12, which all are connected to a controller 3. The manual control 8 is the intersection point between human and machine and requires additional attention in regard to size, handling, feeling and time to control. The manual control 8 must be a familiar element for the user; therefore the user should use this part as often as possible in his spare time, so that the key board becomes absolute routine. Nevertheless certain set procedures take place so as to ensure that an incorrect operation is avoided. The manual control for lowering or lifting the platform 17 must be effectuated firstly by pressing key 8 a, which is responsible for activating the aplatform 17. Within a time window the key 8 b for a lowering or 8 c for a lifting has to be pressed, and for an appropriate lift H the key has to be pressed continually otherwise the lifting process will be stopped.

A gangway can also be controlled by using the same procedure with key controls 8 d, 8 e, 8 f. In addition the radio 8 g, telephone 8 h can also be handled and also the temperature 8 i can also be measured, although it is of advantage if the temperature sensor 13 is on the manual control 8 where the indicator 13 a is, as a temperature sensor under the keel gets warm when driving and takes a relatively long time before it can show the surrounding temperature properly, and as well the temperature under the keel is not necessarily the one that is of interest to the bathers who only want to have their feet in the water with the platform 17 only slightly lowered.

Before a command, which has been initiated from the manual control 8, can be executed, e.g. in series 8 a then 8 b, the rpm gauge 9 and gear setting 11 are checked whereby, using the gear setting 11, it will be controlled whether the propeller shaft is engaged or not to the watercraft's motor. The shipyard may decide if, whether or at what speed it is allowed to drive with the platform 17 lowered, as having the platform 17 underwater creates a resistance, resulting that the fixation of the platform 17 to the transom of a watercraft may no longer withstand the pressure. Also the position of the platform 17 controlled by means of sensor 4, shown here attached to a cylinder 14, in case the platform is lowered, in such instance the platform can be raised at any speed, without considering the rpm gauge 9 or the gear setting 11. In addition, by means of the controller 3, according to the rpm gauge 9, gear setting 11, information from sensor 4, the locking device 10 is opened so as to allow the platform 17 to be lowered whereby the lifting mechanism through cylinder 14 preferably relieves the locking device 10 first of all, i.e. helps to open or just opens. By means of keys 8 x it is also possible to enter a programmed special lifting function for e.g. the quick and easy picking up of a tender on the platform 17 with a second platform 17 quickly and simply to attain a precise equal lifting height.

Is a remote control available, then this one has a control range which equals the visibility to the platform 17 so that from the concealed bow area of a watercraft or from the cabins, an operation of the platform 17 is not possible.

The hydraulic system 16 which by means of the hydraulic pressure lifting mechanism has a valve controller 15 so as to make the system if necessary manually pressureless, so that in case of an electric or hydraulic system failure, by means of the attached lifting bodies at the platform 17 or the attached gas springs on the lifting device, the platform 17 can thus be lifted and automatically locked by the locking device 10 and thereby ensuring that the platform 17 stays secured even when the watercraft is not in use for a time.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic 3 D view of a drop down platform 17 on a watercraft transom 18 with a coercion controlled cover lid 19 here shown on a twin motor vessel whereby the cover 19 lid is connected to a guided and thus telescopic bathing ladder 20 placed under the cover lid 19. The bathing ladder 20 is hinged and attached to the watercraft's transom 18 and as long as the platform 17 is above and on the watercraft's transom 18, the bathing ladder 20 is not visible from outside. If the platform 17 is pulled out horizontally or directly lowered as indicated by arrow H, the bathing ladder is pulled out accordingly and when lowering the platform 17 forces the cover lid 19 to open itself so avoiding a collision with any technical means. On the cover lid 19 is also a synchronisation mean 21, e.g a bar, connected to the second cover lid 19, so that the second cover lid 19 in the case of a twin drive of a watercraft is opened at the right time collision free, without the need to fix a second bathing ladder 20. On both sides of the cover lid 19 a set of flexible side cover strips 22 are placed with the function to warn, respectively an electric safety edge 23 is mounted so as to stop the platform 17 immediately in case of contact with a foreign body. This function of stopping to prevent limb trapping can also be placed on the side of the platform 17 toward the transom of the watercraft 18. The side cover strip 22 can also have a triangular shape so that, when the cover lid 19 is opened, there is no gap to the platform 17.

Of course the invention is not only applicable on shown and described examples

DRAWING LIST

1 switch

1 a control lamp

2 technical mean

3 controller

4 sensor

5 operator

6 steering wheel

7 add on drive

8 manual control

8 a-8 i keyboard

9 rpm gauge

10 locking device

11 gear setting

12 transmitter

13 temperature sensor

13 a indicator

14 cylinder

15 valve controller

16 hydraulic system

17 platform

18 transom

19 cover lid

20 bathing ladder

21 synchronisation mean

22 cover strip

23 electric safety edges

24 safety mean 1,1 a,3,4,5,7,8,9,10,11,12,23

H lift 

1. Safety mean for a drop down platform on a watercraft comprising one of the following: wherein a lowering of the platform installed on a watercraft's transom having a technical mean will be activated only after the height and the steering wheel of the technical mean has been adjusted and controlled by means of sensors.
 2. Safety mean in accordance with claim 1 wherein the alignment of the height of the technical mean is set by an operator and the alignment of the manual steering position is set by the steering wheel or by means of an add on drive at the steering wheel.
 3. Safety mean in accordance with claim 1 wherein the alignment of the height or and the alignment of the steering position of the technical mean takes place automatically by means of the controller by pressing switch.
 4. Safety mean in accordance with claim 1 wherein the correct alignment of the height and or of the steering position is put across by means of an optical or acoustic control on the dashboard.
 5. Safety mean in accordance with claim 4 wherein the optical control is a control lamp which is in a blink mode as long as the triggering of the platform cannot be executed and switches into a continuous light mode when the platform is ready to be lowered or lifted.
 6. Safety mean in accordance to claim 1 wherein the lowering of the platform depends on the rpm gauge or and gear setting but the lifting of the platform is not dependent on those.
 7. Safety mean in accordance to claim 1 wherein before lowering the platform the locking device is released or and opened by the cylinder.
 8. Safety mean in accordance to claim 1 wherein by means of the keyboard configuration preset lifting positions of the platform can be reached.
 9. Safety mean in accordance to claim 1 wherein the remote control has a control range that complies with the direct view range to the platform.
 10. Safety mean in accordance to claim 1 wherein the manual control has other functions which are not relevant to the platform operation.
 11. Safety mean in accordance to claim 1 wherein the valve controller ensures a lifting of the platform out of the water and a locking of it by means of the locking device.
 12. Safety mean in accordance to claim 1 wherein the platform has a recess to avoid collision of a technical mean, by means of the cover lid enabling a uniform surface, whereas a shifting bathing ladder is attached to the cover lid hinged and fixed to the watercraft's transom and thereby when lowering the platform the cover lid is opened by force.
 13. Safety mean in accordance to claim 1 wherein on the cover cover strips are fixed sideways that close the gap between the cover and the platform or have electric safety edges or and electric safety edges fixed onto the platform.
 14. Safety mean in accordance to claim 1 wherein in the case of twin drives both cover lids are connected by a synchronisation mean.
 15. Safety mean in accordance to claim 1 wherein these comprise switch, control lamp, controller, sensor, operator, add on drive, manual control, rpm gauge, locking device, gear setting, transmitter, electric safety edges and are connected with each other by means of the controller. 